Syria, Lebanon and Jordan Emergency Appeal 2024 – UNRWA Progress Report (Reporting period: 1 January – 30 June 2024)

05 November 2024

Executive Summary:

This report covers progress made by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in implementing the humanitarian interventions under the 2024 Syria, Lebanon and Jordan Emergency Appeal (EA), during the period from 1 January to 30 June 2024. It outlines the results achieved to meet the critical needs of Palestine refugees affected by the protracted conflict in Syria, including Palestinian refugees from Syria (PRS) displaced to Jordan and Lebanon, as well as the most vulnerable Palestine refugees in Lebanon (PRL).

Following over 13 years of conflict, 70 per cent of the population in Syria is in need of humanitarian assistance, the highest number recorded since the start of the crisis.1 Of the 438,000 Palestine refugees in Syria, an estimated 40 per cent remain in a situation of protracted internal displacement.2 Localized instability, soaring inflation and significant currency devaluation have continued. Returns of over 11,291 Palestine refugees to Yarmouk, Ein el Tal, and Dera’a camps during the reporting period were largely driven by unaffordable rent in displacement locations, despite poor infrastructure and dangers posed by explosive remnants of war (ERW). Food insecurity among Palestine refugees in Syria has continued to climb, increasing from 46 per cent in 2022 to 56 per cent in 2023 and 62 per cent in 2024.3 As a result, nearly 96 per cent of Palestine refugees in Syria are dependent on UNRWA aid, particularly cash for basic needs and medical assistance. The regionalization of a new round of conflict in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) also impacted Syria in 2024.

In Lebanon, conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated further during the reporting period, resulting in the internal displacement of over 96,000 individuals from southern Lebanon,4 impacting critical infrastructure5 and compounding already dire socioeconomic conditions.6 This further strained the already vulnerable and marginalised PRL and 23,8897 PRS. Poverty among Palestine refugees in the country, at over 72 per cent8 and nearly double the already high poverty rates of the population as a whole,9 is linked to structural marginalization, including limited job opportunities, inadequate social protection and restricted access to public services.10 In Lebanon, the PRS population in particular witnessed a notable increase in protection issues, including detentions and deportations. An unprecedented decision by the Lebanese authorities to stop the renewal of residency permits for PRS as at May 2024, is expected to have a new grave impact on their movement and access to essential services, further exacerbating their already precarious situation.

In Jordan, although security remained stable, the economy felt the increasing impact of the Gaza conflict during the first half of 2024,11 where 20,442 PRS in Jordan already face persistent high unemployment, legal status issues and limited access to basic public services.

UNRWA remains the primary provider of essential services to Palestine refugees in Syria, PRS and PRL in Lebanon and PRS in Jordan, including through cash for essential needs, health, education and protection. However, due to chronic underfunding, the Agency is becoming ever more stretched in its ability to meet the critical needs of Palestine refugees affected by the protracted conflict in Syria. As at the end of June 2024, this EA was only 16 per cent funded, in part due to the pausing of Agency-wide funding by a key donor, with just over United States dollar (US$) 65.5 million received out of a total requirement of US$ 415.4 million.